By Allen Howard
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LINCOLN HEIGHTS - This village is searching for a community development officer to lead its ambitious revitalization plans, started more than two years ago.

The community development officer's main responsibility will be to carry out plans of the village's Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) to revitalize, renovate and build new housing along the Steffen Avenue corridor, said Mayor Shirley Salter.

Village Council approved a revitalization and urban renewal plan in 2001, but progress was stalled recently with the resignation of Carole Cornelison, village manager. Former Cincinnati official Cheryl Meadows was hired Jan. 13 to serve as acting village manager.

Ms. Meadows, who headed Cincinnati's neighborhood services department and was director of employment and training before she retired last year, said she is in an acting role until the village finds a village manager.

"I feel good about coming to Lincoln Heights and getting a chance to work in a part of Hamilton County I have not been familiar with," Ms. Meadows said.

With Ms. Meadows hired and a community development director on the horizon, Ed Jackson, chairman of the CIC board, believes the plans can go forward.

"Right now we are in the conceptual phase," he said. "We have no money to execute anything, but once we get staffed, we believe progress will be made."

CIC has recently completed a study of the Steffen Avenue corridor, which extends from I-75 on the east to Wayne Avenue on the west between Byrd and Simmons. Steffen Avenue runs parallel to Byrd and Simmons.

The study shows that 70 percent of the housing in the corridor is more than 30 years old.

The village has 1,762 housing units and about 9.6 percent vacant buildings with many on Steffen Avenue.

CIC has planned 46 townhouses in the corridor, 26 three-bedrooms and 20 two-bedrooms at a total cost of $6.1 million.

It also has planned 46 townhouses, 23 studio apartments and 31 single-family homes on 40 vacant lots, at a total cost of about $8 million.

Mr. Jackson said the village plans to tap into a number of federal, state and county programs and grants for funding, such as the Community Development Act loans program, a new market tax credit program that gives investors a tax credit for investing in developing housing in low-income communities; business improvement district loan programs for low income communities; low income housing tax credit; and the federal Housing and Urban Development Department grants for new construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing. Anyone interested in the community development officer's post should contact Ms. Salter, 733-5900.

E-mail ahoward@enquirer.com